The substantially planer front and rear surfaces of interior and exterior doors of offices, other commercial buildings and even residences are vulnerable to damage during movement and installation, construction, remodeling and painting. For instance, in an office environment undergoing interior construction followed by the move in of new tenants, the associated doors can be at risk of damage for extended periods of time from a few days to several weeks or months.
It is known to cover doors with blankets that may or may not be padded. However, blankets hung over a door are often too short to protect an entire side thereof and are prone to sliding off of the door.
Several door protectors are known in the art including those taught in U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,727 ('727); 4,372,364 ('364); 5,351,733 ('733); and 6,029,409 ('409). The cover taught in the '727 patent is comprised of a fabric material that typically includes an interior panel or padding layer. Velcro material is provided to secure the cover in place on a door. Further, cutouts are provided to permit operation of the underlying door while covered. The construction of the '727 cover and its inherent cost of production precludes it use as a disposable thereby requiring storage between uses. Since the cover is intended to be reusable; however, its configuration and size make its storage inconvenient and inefficient.
The door protective device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,733 is typically comprised of a padded cloth material and includes several elastic and fabric straps. Like the cover of the '727 patent, it is not intended to be disposable given the inherent cost of fabrication. The '727 protective device covers substantially the entirety of an associated door and, as such, effectively prevents usage of the door when covered. Further, the padded cloth material taught in this patent is unlikely to provide much impact protection save for very light incidental impacts.
The door protector taught in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,364 is also made of a cloth material and typically includes cotton padding to provide some impact protection. Velcro material is also sewn to the protector. Given the protector's construction and its inherent cost of fabrication, it is not considered disposable and therefore must be stored when not in use. Further, the '364 protector only covers a single side of a door and is therefore not suitable in environments where the door may be damaged on the uncovered back side. Furthermore, the protector covers the door handle on the covered side making the use of the handle more difficult.
The doorway shield taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,409 is also designed to cover only a single side of an associated door. Additionally, the '409 shield covers hinged interface and adjacent doorjamb. The sheet material comprising the shield is preferably semi-rigid but resilient permitting bending to hook over the door. The preferred sheet material comprises 20-30 mil thick polyethylene sheeting backed by ⅙-¼″ thick polyethylene foam. The thickness of the sheet and foam along with the shield's configuration are necessary for the proper operation of the shield as taught in the '409 patent; however, its thickness also prevents it from being foldable for storage and transport. Additionally, like the cover of the '364 patent, the '409 shield both only protects a single side of a door and covers the door handle.